Braiding-machine.



H. Z. COBB.

BBAIDING MACHINE.

nrruoumn rum) rm. 1:), 1914.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

THE NORRIS FEYERS CO" PHOTOLITNQ. WASHINGTON. D C

HENRYZ. COBB, OFWINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

BRAIDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 19, 1914. Serial No. 819,654.

To all who m. itmay concern Be it known that I, HENRY Z. Gone, a citizen of the United States, residing in VVinchester, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Braiding-Machines, of which the following is a specification. a

This invention relates to braiding ina-.

chines, and has for an object to provide improved mechanism for throwing or impel.- ling shuttles upwardly through the braiding yarns and permitting the shuttles to pass downwardly through the same by gravity for the purpose of weaving through the braided fabric warp threads which will be longitudinally disposed in such "fabric. The shuttle traverses an upright guide preferably vertically disposed, and the mechanism gives the shuttle a quick upward impulse which causes it to make an upward. excursion upon the guide and pass through the braiding yarns. After its momentum has been exhausted it falls freely by gravity and again passes through the braiding yarns. The movement of the spindles, however, has advanced the braiding to such a position that the shuttle, upon its recession, passes through a different portion of the fabric so that the yarns carried by the spindles are braided into and about the warp thread or yarn introduced by the shuttle. In the present illustration the shuttle-throwing mechanism embodies a slide, which, after giving its impulse, returns by gravity to its initial position. Certain of the other portions of the mechanism also return by gravity to their initial positions. The main actuating part, however, moves forwardly by an uninterrupted movement.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for selectively giving an impulse to the members of a series of shuttles by groups. In the present illustration there are in the series six shuttles, and the group arrangement comprises three groups of two shuttles each. NVhile one group of shuttles is active the other groups are passive; or in some instances, while the shuttles of one group are above the braiding, yarns the other shuttles are below the same. Interchangeable actuators for the selective mechanism are illustrated.

In the drawings accompanying this specification one practicable embodiment of the invention is illustrated, in which drawings-- Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a braiding machine equipped with a form of the present improvement; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cam wheel shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an elevational view of another form of shuttle throwing means, showing a cam wheel interchangeable with that shown in the other views.

This improvement is shown in connection with a braiding machine embodying a racesupportingdevice 10 fora series of bobbin spindles 11. This present structure is one capable of braidinga two-ply tubular fabric 13, the braiding yarns 1 1 in the present illustration forming a double braid. The tubular braid is formed around the core 15. It is frequently desirable in braided fabrics to introduce longitudinally disposed yarns for purposes of strengthening the braided fabric for enabling it to resist longitudinal strains, and, when the fabric is two-ply, for the purpose of bonding or uniting the plies. The fabric 13 in the illustration is shown provided with a plurality of longitudinally disposed warp threads 16.

Patented Nov. 1'7, 19141.

The machine frame is shown provided with a plurality of upright guides, in the present illustration vertically disposed. Each of these guides comprises a portion 17 located below the position of the braiding yarns 1 1, and a portion 18 located above such position. A shuttle 19 is mounted upon each of these guides and is constructed to traverse both portions of the guide and pass from side to side of the braiding yarns or the braiding yarn position. The shuttle is free to descend by gravity and is operated by being thrust or impelled upwardly through the braiding yarns; after its momentum has been exhaustedit is free to fall through such yarns and resume its initial position. It has a rapid movement through the yarns in each direction so that it does not interfere with the proper movement of the yarns or threads from the spindles. The

intervals between its ascent and descent are so timed that the proper amount 01' bra1d1ng takes place while it is in itsupward position. The throwing mechanism is so timed that the proper amount of braiding takes place while it is in its downward position.

A slide 20 is mounted for reciprocation upon each of the guides 17. The lower end of the shuttle rests upon the upper end of this slide when in its lower position. A

quick upward movement of the slide imparts an impulse to the shuttle and throws this across the space 21 between. the guides 17 and 18, which space 21 is occupied by the braiding yarns, and causes the shuttle to pass through such yarns. The slide is then permitted to descend by gravity, if desired assisted by a suitable compression device, so, that the recession or downward movement of the shuttle is not interfered with, and so that the shuttle-impelling means is retracted in suitable timing from the path of movement of the shuttle in its descent. The slide, however, limits and determines the amplitude of movement of the shuttle.

There is shown connected to each of the slides a strap 22 secured to and passing over a pulley 23. A pulley 24 of -much smaller radius than the pulley 23 is fast with it upon the shaft 25. A strap 26 connected to an actuator is shown secured to and passing over the pulley 24. The strap 22 winds up on the pulley 23 as the strap 26 unwinds from the pulley 24, since these straps are reversely wound on their respective pulleys. The actuator illustrated for the strap 26 is a lever 27 carried by a stub shaft 28. The free end of the strap 26 is shown pivotally connected to one endof the lever. The other end of the lever is shown provided with a cam. engaging face in the form of a roller 29. The actuator or controlling element for the impelling mechanism associated with the respective slides comprises in the illustration a wheel supported in a horizontal plane, its arbor 30 being mounted in a suitable bearing 31 of the framework. This actuator comprises a rim 82 which is provided with a series of cams 33 which are spaced apart suitable distances for effecting the proper timing or interval between actuations. Each cam is shown comprising an accelerating rise, and a return having at its beginning a slow incline followed by an abrupt fall sloping into a very gradual incline to idle. The lever is shown having its longer end connected to the strap 26 and this strap acting upon the pulley of smaller radius; in this manner the movement to actuate the slide 20 is multiplied from the cam. The position of the lever relatively to the cam is such that the acceleration of the cam is augmented by the crank action of the lever. The resultant of these combined accelerations serves to impel the shuttle with great rapidity and to impart to it a momentum sufficient to cause it to pass rapidly through the braiding yarns and beyond the same with a working margin of safety. The lower portion of the rim 32 is provided with bevel gear teeth 34- for the engagement of a driving wheel 35 mounted upon a shaft 36 driven from some suitable source of power not shown. Upon the rocking of the lever 27 the shuttle actuating slide 20 is given an impulse. Upon the release of the lever from the influence of the earn the lever is permitted to return to its initial position by gravity, the short arm of the lever being shown heavier than the longer arm. The slide 20 is also free to return to its idle position by gravity.

in the illustrated organization of the machine there is a series of six shuttles 19 and individual impelling mechanism for each shuttle, and mechanism for actuating such impelling mechanism for throwing the shuttles through the braiding yarn in selected groups, and for actuating the groups in timed sequence. The cam wheel in the illustration has two similar cams placed in proper positions relatively to the rollers 29 for simultaneously effecting the movement of the shuttles of one group and then the starting it upon its downward movement.

The number and relative location of the cams on the cam wheel is controlled by the character of work which is being formed. If the cam wheel of Figs. 1 and 2 having a plurality of cams is caused to operate upon the form of mechanism shown in Fig. 3 where there is one lever, this lever will be moved twice at each rotation of the cam wheel. If, however, the cam which as illustrated in such figure is employed with the single lever the shuttle will be thrown through the braiding yarns but once during each rotation of the cam wheel. ln'either construction each lever is given as many movements as there are cams on the cam wheel. The cam wheels are interchangeable as readily seen, that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is provided with two cams so positioned as to operate two levers, permitting. the lever between those which are operated to remain idle. The wheel. shown in Fig. 3 isprovided with one cam for the purpose of actuating the levers one at a time. I provide the cams in a fixed relation, preferably on a cam wheel, so that when a change is desired such wheel is replaced by another having differently located cams. The cam not only throws up the shuttle, but cooperateson the return movement of the shuttle when it falls by gravity to control the rate of its descent. This double cams from those heretofore known, in which one cam throws the shuttle up, and the shuttle' remains up until another cam throws it down.

The mechanism described is subject to function differentiates these considerable modification and substitution of equivalent mechanical devices or elements without departing from the invention. AS an example of one modificationof which the invention is susceptible I show in Fig. 3 in connection with the interchangeable cam wheel above described another form of lever 27 which is pivoted at 28 and its short arm has a roller 29 for running upon the single cam 83 or cam wheel The lever has directly connected to its longer arm the slide 20' for engaging the shuttle and impelling it upwardly upon its guides. By properly proportioning the cam incline and the respective arms of the lever this mechanism will impart the same lifting movement to the slide 20 as the mechanism above described. i

The present invention relates to a similar machine to that set forth in my application Serial No. 745,361, filed January 31, 1913.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. In a device of the character specified, the combination with a shuttle, of a guide for guiding the shuttle through the braiding yarns. a shuttle throwing slide, a lever connected thereto, a cam wheel, and a cam carried by such wheel for rockingthe lever for causing the slide to impelthe shuttle upon its guides.

2. Ina device of the character specified, the combination with a shuttle, of a guide for guiding the shuttle through the braid ing yarns, a shuttle throwing slide, a lever associated with the slide for actuating it and an interchangeable cam wheel for actuating the lever.

23. The combination with a braiding machine, of a series of shuttles, guides for guiding the shuttles through the braiding yarns, and mechanism for throwing the shuttles through such yarns by selected groups, comprising a cam-wheel having its cams correspondingly grouped, and said cam-wheel being interchangeable with camwheels bearing cams differently grouped for selectively determining the members of the said groups.

4. The combination with a braiding machine, of a series of shuttles, guides for guiding said shuttles through the braiding yarns. and mechanism for throwing the shuttles through such yarns by selected groups, comprising a lever associated with each shuttle and a. cam wheel having a plurality of cams for selectively engaging the levers. 4

5. In. a braiding machine, the combination with a guide, a shuttle mounted thereon, impelling means for the shuttle comprising a slide. a smaller and a larger pulley fast together, a strap connected to and passing over the larger pulley and connected with the shde, a lever having a longer and a shorter arm, a strap connected to and passing over the smaller pulley in a direction opposite that of the first mentioned strap and connected to the longer end of the lever, and a cam mechanism active upon the shorter arm of the lever.

6. In a braiding machine, the combination with a guide, a shuttle mounted thereon, impelling means for the shuttle comprising a slide, a smaller and a larger pulley fast together, a strap connected to and passing over the larger pulley and connected with the slide,a lever having a longer and a shorter end, a strap connected to and passing over the smaller pulley in a direction opposite that of the first mentioned strap and connected to the longer arm of the lever, and a cam mechanism active upon the shorter arm of the lever, the shorter arm of the lever being heavier than the longer arm.

7. In a braiding machine, the combination with a shuttle and mechanism for throwing the shuttle comprising a lever, of a cam for said lever comprising an accelerating rise face, a return having at its beginning a slow decline followed by an abrupt fall sloping into a gradual incline to idle.

8. In a braiding machine, the combination with a shuttle and mechanism for throwing the shuttle comprising a lever, having a longer and a shorter arm, of a cam for engaging the shorter arm of said lever, said cam comprising an accelerating rise face, a return having at its beginning a slow decline followed by an abrupt fall sloping into a gradual incline to idle.

9. In a braiding machine, the combination with a shuttle and mechanism for throwing the shuttle comprising a lever, having a longer and a shorter arm, a cam for engaging the shorter arm of said lever, said lever comprising an acceleratingrise face, a return having at its beginning a slow decline followed by an abrupt fall sloping into a gradual incline to idle, a larger and a smaller pulley fast together, a strap fastened to and passing over the larger pulley and engaging the slide, and a strapvfastened to and passing over the smaller pulley in an opposite direction and pivoted to the longer end of said lever.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY Z. COBB.

"Witnesses:

CHAS. LYON RUSSELL, FRED IVHrrn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 13.0. I 

